A Stranger is a Friend You Haven't Met Yet
by Tippens
Summary: AU Sometimes, the kids make new friends easily. Sometimes they don't. Dean/Castiel, Crowley/Balthazar, Eventual Gabriel/Kali Part of the Smiles in my Heart verse
1. Chapter 1

"Why do I always have to be the engine?" Gabriel complained as he pulled Dean's wagon around the yard.

"You are _not_ always the engine," Dean said snottily. He's sitting in the front of the wagon, Castiel behind him.

Dean's wagon is painted black. It didn't used be, but he begged his parents to paint it black, so it could be the same color as his dad's car.

"He's right Gabriel," Castiel said. "Crowley was the engine last time."

"And _I_ was the engine before that," Balthazar said. "So stop whining."

Gabriel stuck his tongue out at him.

They heard a loud snore coming from Dean's porch.

His dad was asleep on a chair, even though he's supposed to be watching them.

"He snores almost as loud as Gabriel," Balthazar said.

"I do _not_ snore." Gabriel said, offended.

"Do _too_."

"Do _not_."

"Do _too_."

"Do _n_-"

"Shut up," Castiel shouted, standing up in the wagon.

Dean's dad woke up.

"Hey, keep it down," he said, then quickly went back to sleep. He started snoring even louder than before.

Crowley, who was being unusually quiet, started giggling as he picked up something out of the dirt.

"Hey, Balthy watch this." He went up the steps onto Dean's porch and stood right next to Dean's dad. He stood on his toes and placed a worm horizontally right under his nose.

"Wormstache," Castiel shouted.

They heard an unfamiliar voice giggling behind them.

They turned, and there was a boy standing on the sidewalk. He had short hair in front, but in the back his hair stopped right at his shoulders.

When they looked at him, he immediately stopped laughing.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Ash. My mommy and daddy and me just moved in next door."

"Hi Ash," Dean said happily. "I like your hair."

"It's busyness up front, and a party in the back," he said, giggling again. He looked at Balthazar. "You have pretty eyes."

"Thank you," he said, blushing.

Crowley stepped off the porch and stood next to Balthazar, glaring at Ash with his arms crossed.

"Do you wanna play with us?" Dean said as he pulled himself out of the wagon. He tripped over the side, rolled a few feet, then got up and brushed dirt off of his legs.

"Dean," Castiel shouted, jumping out. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?" he replied, a blush appearing on his face.

"That was so _cool_," Ash said excitedly. "You're just like a ninja!"

"Dean likes cowboys," Castiel said angrily. "Tell him."

"Ninjas are cool, I guess," Dean said.

"Oh, cowboys are cool too." Ash said as he took a kitkat bar out of his pocket.

Gabriel's eyes widened and he ran over to Ash.

"Ash, right?" Ash nodded. "Can I have a piece of that?"

"Uh, OK." Ash broke off a piece and handed it to him.

Gabriel devoured it.

"Ashley Singer," a blond woman said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere behind Ash. "What have I told you about wandering off?"

"But mommy," he whined, "I wanted to make friends!"

"You can play with them tomorrow, _after_ we unpack all the boxes. Now say goodbye, daddy's waiting in the car." She grabbed his hand and started walking off.

"Bye," he said, looking right at Balthazar and waving. Balthazar blushed.

Dean and Gabriel waved happily after him.

"I don't like him," Castiel said.

"His hair is awesome," Dean said, as if that made him the coolest person ever.

"He's nice," Balthazar said. "And kinda cute."

"He's a freak," Crowley said.

"You think he has anymore candy?" Gabriel said.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean loves going to the park. He likes going down the slide, having Castiel push him on the swings, and spinning around on the carousel.

His favorite part, though, his absolute _favorite_ part, is digging in the sand.

Sometimes he finds things, like money. Once he found a hot wheels car, still in its package.

Most of the toys he finds are for older kids. He puts those toys in a box he has under his bed. It's full of toys he's going to give to Sam when he's older.

* * *

><p>Dean swung his legs back and forth excitedly as he quickly sucked down his apple juice.<p>

Castiel slowly sipped his grape juice as he watched Dean with interest.

When Dean finished, he shoved his juice box into the small plastic bag next to him. He grabbed his red plastic bucket with one hand and with the other tugged at the sleeve of Castiel's shirt.

"C'mon, Cass," he said. "It's digging time!"

"I am not finished with my juice," he said.

Dean sighed and turned towards his mom.

"Mommy," he said, making puppy eyes at her, "can Sammy come help me dig?"

"Are you going to be careful?" she asked, and Dean nodded. "Don't put him on the swings again."

"Promise."

Sam, who was sitting on the grass in front of Mary's legs, looked up at Dean and smiled. Mary lifted him onto his feet.

"Hold his hand, Dean," she said.

Dean grabbed his hand and carefully led him to a shady spot under the slide.

Sam plopped down on the sand and Dean sat next to him.

Dean pulled out two of the shovels from his bucket.

"Here, Sam," he said. "You can use the pink one." He handed Sam the shovel, and he stuck the handle into his mouth. Dean laughed. "No, Sammy, like this." He took it out of Sam's mouth and stuck in his hand, the right way.

"Dirt?" Sam asked.

"No, sand," Dean shoved his shovel in the sand, and found a quarter. "Look, a quarter. Say 'quarter'"

"Water," Sam said.

"'Quarter'."

"Courter."

"'Quarter'."

"Jell-O!"

"Hi, Dean," Dean looked up and saw Lisa Braedon standing next him.

"Oh, hi Lisa," he said unenthusiastically.

"Is this your brother?" she asked as she sat down next to Sam.

"Yeah," Dean said. "His name is Sam."

"He is so adorable," Lisa said.

"Yes. He is."

Sam reached up a grabbed part of her hair.

"Soft," he said. Lisa laughed pulled her hair out of his grasp. Sam giggled and poked her with the shovel. "Diggy."

"He wants you to dig with us," Dean said when he saw her confused face.

"Oh," she took the shovel from him and started to dig.

Dean took the yellow shovel from the bucket and gave it to Sam.

* * *

><p>Castiel had finished his juice awhile ago, and was going to go dig with Dean, but when he saw Lisa, he stayed where he was and watched.<p>

_If Dean wants to play with Lisa_, he thought, _then I should not interrupt_. He really wanted to cry, but only babies cry, so he didn't.

Crowley saw Castiel looking completely miserable.

"Cassy," he said as he walked up next to Castiel. "What happened?"

"Dean is playing with Lisa," Castiel pointed to them.

Balthazar ran up to Crowley and grabbed his hand.

"_Crowley_," he said, "you gotta move or Ash is gonna get us." He dragged Crowley to the tunnel.

Balthazar giggled as he saw Ash chasing Gabriel in circles on the other side of the tunnel.

"Balthy," Crowley said. "Who's that icky girl with Dean?"

Balthazar looked and said, "oh that's stupid face Lisa. She is the most annoying girl, _ever_."

"Cassy doesn't like her."

"Of _course_ he doesn't! She never leaves Dean alone."

Crowley tilted his head to the side and thought for a few seconds.

"Balthy, he said, "get her to go to the top of the slide."

"Why?"

"Please just do it."

"Tell me why."

"If you don't do it," Crowley said with puppy eyes, "then that means you don't love me."

Balthazar sighed and got of the tunnel. He walked over to Dean and Lisa.

"Hi Lisa," he said.

"Oh, hi, uhm…"

"Balthazar."

"Right, whatever."

He sat down and watched them dig for a few seconds.

"I think there's a better spot to dig somewhere else," he said.

"Really? Where?" Dean asked excitedly.

"Uhm…I don't know where exactly…Maybe if you went to the top of slide you could see it."

"I'll go look," Lisa said.

As she climbed up the ladder, Crowley followed her. She stopped at that top and looked around, and Crowley shoved her off. She hit the ground and sand flew everywhere.

Balthazar covered his mouth to keep from laughing.

She started crying, and little girl with curly brown hair came over to her.

"Auntie Jane, Auntie Jane!" the little girl shouted. "Lisa's hurt!"

Gabriel was running by, but when he saw the curly haired girl, he stopped in his tracks.

_Pretty_, was the only thing he thought as he stared at her. She stared back at him.

Her aunt came over and picked up Lisa, trying to stop her crying.

"Kali," she said. "Let's go. We have to go home." She followed her aunt, but looked over her shoulder at Gabriel.

Ash jumped up on Gabriel's back.

"You're it!" he shouted.

* * *

><p>Castiel sat next to Dean.<p>

"Here Cass," Dean said as he handed Castiel a shovel. "I saved the green one just for you."

"Thank you Dean," Castiel said. "Did Lisa find anything interesting?"

"Don't know, don't care," he said as he reached over to Sam and took his shovel out of his mouth again.

Castiel smiled and started to dig.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean burst out of the car as soon as his mom opened the door.

He ran up the steps and banged on the door.

"Dean," his mom said as she walked toward him, holding Crowley's hand to keep him from running. "Calm down. You ran so fast you forgot the presents."

"Can you go get them?" Dean asked as he bounced up and down excitedly.

"I got them," his dad said as he walked up with Sam and holding the presents in a bag.

The door opened and Dean and Crowley bolted inside, startling Castiel's mom in the process.

"I understand Crowley's excitement," she said, "but Dean saw Castiel yesterday."

"Aww," Dean's mom said. "Young love."

"Boyfrans!" Sam yelled, giggling.

* * *

><p>Dean and Crowley ran out to the backyard.<p>

Dean launched himself onto Castiel, arms around his neck, making them both fall on the ground.

Crowley ran over to Balthazar and wrapped his arms around d him.

"Missed you, Balthy," he said.

Castiel pried Dean's arms off of him and helped him get up.

"Dean, you saw me yesterday," he said.

"Yeah," Dean replied. "But yesterday was yesterday, and today is today! Happy birthday, Cass!" Dean jumped on Castiel again, and they crashed to the ground.

"Everything's green," Crowley said. "Why?"  
>"Dean's eyes are green," Balthazar replied, "so it's Castiel's favorite color. It's really freaky."<p>

"I have another question. Why is Lisa here?" Castiel's dad was painting her face.

"Gabriel begged Castiel to invite her cousin, and father said it would be rude to invite her and not Lisa. What did you do while you were grounded?"

Crowley had gotten 2 weeks of no TV and no Balthazar for pushing Lisa off the slide.

"Did nothing and thought of you," he said, making Balthazar blush.

* * *

><p>"You know Dean," Crowley said as he chewed an apple, "we're sorta gonna be related one day."<p>

Dean paused, a cupcake halfway to his mouth.

"Huh?"

"You're gonna marry Cassy, and I will marry Balthy. We'll be like brothers! Would you like an apple?"

"I-I-I don't…how is…umm…I don't…eat….apples?"

"You eat apple pie. What do you think that is made out of?"

"Umm…I gu-"

"Dean," Castiel interrupted, "Mr. and Mrs. Harvelle brought the baby! Come see her!" He grabbed Dean's wrist and dragged him over where a bunch of people were gathered around a stroller.

"Dean come look," his mom said.

Dean stood on his tiptoes and looked into the stroller.

"What's her name?" Dean asked.

"Joanna Beth," Mrs. Harvelle said.

Joanna had blond hair that was in pigtails.

"She's small," he said. "And cute. But not as cute as Sammy."

She reached her hand up and grasped the air in front of him.

Dean laughed and gave her a high five.

* * *

><p>After Gabriel smashed the piñata, it was time to sing happy birthday.<p>

Castiel didn't have a birthday cake. It was birthday pie, with six green candles on it.

Dean sang the loudest and got the second biggest piece.

Gabriel was talking to Kali as they ate.

"And my candy store is gonna be called 'Loki's Place'."

"Loki?" she asked.

"It's my middle name," he explained.

* * *

><p>Castiel and Dean were watching Sam and Joanna in the playpen.<p>

"They like each other," Dean said.

Joanna pulled Sam's hair, making him cry.

"…Never mind."


	4. Chapter 4

Dean was practically vibrating on the floor, excitingly babbling to Castiel.

"And then Imma teach him how to sit. And then Imma teach him how to fetch. And then-"

"Dean," his mom interrupted from the couch. "Daddy's trying to sleep keep your voice down."

Dean lowered his voice and continued rambling to Castiel about what he was going to teach the puppy his parents had just got him.

After Dean was done talking, Castiel asked, "What's the puppy's name?"

"Harley Bones," he answered. "He's a golden retriever. I can't wait until uncle Rufus gets here with him, where is he mommy?"  
>Just as Dean's mom was about to answer, the doorbell rang. Dean got up and ran to the door. He opened it and squeaked when he saw his parents' friend Rufus, holding the puppy.<p>

"Heya Dean," he said. He put the puppy on the floor. It slowly walked into the house and Dean got on the floor and started petting it.

"Dean, go show Castiel," his mom said from behind him.

Dean picked up the puppy and took it to the living room, setting it on the floor gently.

"He is so cute, Cas," he said.

* * *

><p>When Sam woke up from his nap, Dean showed him the puppy.<p>

"Look, Sammy," he said, pushing the puppy towards Sam, who was sitting on the floor with Dean and Castiel.

Sam and the puppy stared at eachother for a few seconds, then it started furiously licking his face.

"Is he hurting him?" Dean asked Castiel worriedly.

"No," Castiel said. "That means he likes Sam."

"All Crowley's puppy ever does is make those weird noises."

"That's called 'growling'."

"Oh," Dean said. "That's why his name is Growley, then."

The puppy nibbled on Sam's ear, making him giggle.


End file.
